Written by Dr. Mike Robinson ~ Guest Writer
Photo retrieved from hollywoodreporter.com.
What went wrong with The Marvels?
Nothing.
Marvel’s lowest opening weekend movie in the MCU’s history? That The Marvels?
Yup, that’s the one. There was nothing wrong with it.
The Marvels is a fairly good movie. Without spoilers and speaking generally, it’s about middle of the road for an MCU flick. Captain Marvel has plenty to do and Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau work into the tale quite well. Plus, there’s Nick Fury, being far more effective than he was for the Secret Invasion streaming series. The film has a fast pace and the fights are good.
So, what happened then?
Well, I’ve got three theories about what may have happened and I’ve got one thing that I know absolutely did not happen.
First, I think that the movie fell victim to the SAG-AFTRA strike. While the union’s members were out winning a better deal for themselves in this new age of film and television production, actors were not allowed to promote their films. Now this might sound trivial at first, but there is a vital hype ecosystem that needs to thrive around any movie. The studios needed Brie Larson (Capt. Marvel), Teyonah Parris (Rambeau), and the super fan Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel) out there. Samuel L. Jackson (Fury) is also one of the better talk show guests out there. Stars make audiences more excited. It’s why they get paid more money.
Second, Marvel Studios has made an unforced error with its film scheduling. The Avengers are the core concept, the very heart of the MCU. In earlier phases, the studio used Avengers movies to bring their separate films back into a narrative fold. Those movies came every few years: Avengers (2012), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Yes, Civil War is obviously an Avengers movie.
The gang has not been back together since then. In fact, the next time the Avengers assemble will be Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (scheduled for 2025) and Avengers: Secret Wars (scheduled for 2026). As a result, it’s really hard right now to even say what is happening with the Avengers in the MCU. Are they still a team? If so, who’s on it? We need to touch base with them. The Marvels would have been an excellent opportunity to do so, however briefly.
Third, streaming is still a factor. Now more than ever, people need a reason to go out to see a film. The temptation to wait for streaming is strong. I can tell you what did not happen. There is no such thing as superhero fatigue. According to Box Office Mojo, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse made about $650.9 million dollars. People love that movie and they want more.
